Encounters
by petthekat
Summary: A series of one-shots featuring rooftop conversations between child!April and turtlechild!Donatello. Short, sweet and plotless.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: One day, I'm going to stop writing stories about The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Today is not that day. Here, have a one-shot. I'm going to squint and call this a 2k14-verse story.

Quick Summary: Child!April grieves on her rooftop. TurtleChild! Donnie finds her. Rated K, obviously.

* * *

 _Squeak. Squeak. Squeak._

Sniffles punctuated every blistering squeeze of the small red ball, occasionally finding a steady rhythm but mostly existing only in a series furious assaults. Tilting her head so that her moist cheek lay against her shoulder, the small girl wrapped her arms tighter around her knees in an effort to stave off the winds.

It was stupid to come here, she decided as she wiped her face roughly against her windbreaker sleeve. And knowing it only made her chest hurt more, another sob wracking her tiny body. With an angry squeal that thrashed her braids, the girl turned swiftly in her spot and hurled the small red ball off the roof. "Stupid ball," she muttered tearfully. Her cheeks felt cold and scrunchy with tears. It made her face itch.

She wasn't supposed to be on the roof, but her dad wouldn't notice. He never noticed anything anymore.

Behind her, something suddenly let out a clatter and the small girl gasped, her blue eyes going wide. She shifted to her knees at breakneck speed and looked around the roof. "Who – Who's there?" she tilted her head to peer behind the alcove that led away from the roof and back into the apartment complex. When she squinted, she saw a dark piece of fabric shift behind the rooftop entrance.

Scared silly, she edged away from the door and looked around, brows furrowing and lips trembling as she tried to figure out what to do.

"... Why are you crying?"

April O'Neil shrieked at the sound of another voice. Instantly dropping to the roof in a defensive gesture, she wrapped her arms tightly around her knees and tilted her head. After several moments of silence, she decided that whoever it was didn't sound all that threatening. In fact, the voice was tiny and squeaky like her little ball.

Sitting back on her haunches, she picked at her shoelace. "'Cause my mom died," she answered, frowning. She pretended to look at her shoe but whenever the shadows around the alcove move, she sneaked a glance back in that direction. She even edged a little closer, hoping whoever it was wouldn't notice.

"I'm sorry," the squeaky voice said at long last. He sounded sad, she noticed. Maybe he'd lost his mom too.

She stood and tried to move closer but the figure darted further into the shadows, and when something moved on the dirty rooftop she realized he was carrying a blanket. She couldn't see anything else, but he might've been wrapped up in it. He was probably cold, she realized. It was chilly up there. He might be homeless. She saw homeless people sometimes. Her mom had always pulled her away, but she felt bad for them. One time, she even gave one her sandwich from her lunchbox. He'd seemed happy, so she figured it must have been a good thing. "Why are you hiding?" she asked, curiosity overwhelming her fear.

The odd shadow shuffled further into the darkness of the rooftop corner. April decided he looked like dark blob.

"Uh," he grumbled something under his breath and then said more loudly, "Not supposed to be out. I don't want you telling on me."

"Oh," she said with understanding. She wasn't supposed to be out, either. So that made sense. Clicking her tongue idly, she let her head fall to the side so that both red braids fell over one shoulder. "Are you a grown-up?" she asked at last. "Because I'm not supposed to talk to strange grown-ups."

The shadow giggled and – to her delight – snorted a little. "No," she could hear his grin. "I'm not a grown-up. I wish I was, though."

"Me too," she agreed. "Then I wouldn't have to go to school."

"Why don't you want to go to school?" the squeaky voice asked, and then went on wistfully, "I would love to go."

The little girl shrugged. "I like school and books," she said, twisting one braid in her fingers and examining its end. "But people are mean to me, and I don't like that. They say mean stuff and call me carrot-top." She stuck out her tongue. The shadowy figure lurched closer, hobbling until just one side of its dark bulky outline was visible.

"That's silly," he told her matter-of-factly. "Carrots aren't red. And your hair is pretty."

She giggled, "Pretty?" Her cheeks flushed. "Nuh-unh."

"Yes-huh," the shadow disagreed. "Only 4% of the world is naturally red-headed, you know. You're a genetic anomaly."

"What does that mean?" she asked.

"It means you're special," he told her, and he sounded so sure and smart. She was certain what he said was true. The last of her tears dry, the little girl sucked in a deep dramatic breath and then squared her shoulders.

"My name is April Leanne O'Neil. What's yours?"

The shadow hesitated and April spotted something she hadn't noticed before – a pair of sharp white eyes, blinking in the darkness. They were spooky. April liked them. After all, her cat's eyes glowed in the dark and Mr. Fluffyballs wasn't bad. Maybe this shadowy kid wasn't, either.

After waiting a really long time for him to answer, April smacked a hand on the rooftop. "Are you still there?" she called. Finally, the shadow shifted a little.

"Donatello," he whispered very quietly.

"Whoa," April's eyes widened. "That's a long name. Don-a-tell-o." Rocking back and forth on her bottom, she dropped her braid and smiled. "I've never heard that name before. Did your parents make it up?"

"No," he answered, and April knew he didn't sound so scared as before. "It's Italian."

April blinked. "Ooh, I read something about that! Italians are from Italy."

"Yeah," the shadow giggled and another snort sounded. "Do you know where Italy is?"

She thought about it and then grinned. "Europe," she said with a firm nod. "And it looks like a boot!"

They laughed together.

"It does!" he agreed, jubilant. "I always thought that!" They laughed more, and April was glad he was there on the roof with her. It was nice to talk to someone.

"What're you doin' all the way up here?" she asked, sitting cross-legged and gripping her shoes. "Do you live in my apartment complex?"

The shadow wiggled in his spot. "Uh, I... I was out, gathering things for my stuff." April squinted when his blanket shifted and she saw – just for a tiny second – something purple. She edged closer again, scooting on her butt and hoping he didn't notice.

"That doesn't tell me much," she rolled her eyes.

"I build things," he told her more confidently. "So sometimes I need stuff from the dumpsters. I heard you crying, though. So I wanted to see if you were okay."

"That was nice of you," said April earnestly. "I'm glad you're here. I haven't had anyone to talk to since my mom died." After a heavy sigh, she blinked up at the sky and wrinkled her nose. "Sometimes I just go to school for a whole day and I don't even remember it, cause I'm not even thinking about it, ya know? I'm just thinkin' about other stuff."

"Like what?" the shadow asked curiously.

April smiled, "Stories. I like to make up stories in my head." She stuck out her tongue. "When I tell people about them, they make fun of me. So I don't tell people about them anymore." With a loud huff, April yanked out her shoelace and dropped it to the ground. "Everyone is mean and I don't like them."

"Mm," the shadow-boy made a noise. "Sometimes... I feel that way, too."

After a few minutes, April rose from her spot and dusted off her jeans. "I guess I should go inside. My dad will start to worry." Watching the strange white eyes made her smile. "He might not even notice, though. He hardly pays attention to anything anymore. He tried to feed me a frozen waffle yesterday."

"Is he sad because your mother died?"

"Yeah," April kicked a foot. "That's why I come up here to be sad. Because I don't want to make him any more sad." Shrugging thin shoulders, the redhead sighed deeply. "I don't have any brothers or sisters, so I don't have anyone to talk to. And now it's just me and Daddy."

Her eyes brightened suddenly. "Hey, will you be my friend? Then I can talk to you!"

The shadow shifted and something made a noise like pots and pans. "Uh, I... I -"

Her face fell. "Aw, it's okay..." she dropped her head. "I know you probably got other friends."

"No, no!" the shadow said shrilly. "I mean – I want to be your friend. But I'm not sure I can. I'm not supposed to be out here. I don't know when I could come see you."

"It doesn't matter if you can see me," implored April as she crossed her arms. "I can't see you right now and we're still talking." She grinned when the shadow snickered.

"You know what I mean..."

April shrugged. "You can still be my friend... if you really want." When her shadow friend didn't say anything, April turned back to the rooftop door with a frown. Before she could touch the handle, she heard his squeaky voice behind her again.

"Okay," he said softly. "I'll be your friend."

Smiling, April glanced over her shoulder. "Really? Great!" Turning the door handle, April paused inside the doorframe. "Good bye, friend Donatello."

"Donnie," he piped up. "You can call me Donnie."

The little girl laughed. "I like that. Bye Donnie!" When she sneaked a look back at the shadow, she saw him raise an arm and wave at her. It looked like he had no fingers, she thought. Or maybe he was just holding his hand closed.

But it was okay. She had a new friend and he did, too.

And for two lonely little kids, that was all that mattered.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: Someone please tell me to get off this site and clean my house.

Clean your house, Kat.

Have some more kid!conversations.

* * *

April O'Neil studied the new spiral notebook her father had given her.

"See?" Kirby O'Neil tried, smiling. "It's cute, right?"

She eyed the shiny cover with dismay. "Who is Lisa Frank?"

Her father shrugged. "Well, I'm... really not sure. But I thought this may make you feel better at school," he said, sighing. April squinted at him, suddenly feeling guilty. She hugged the notebook tight to her chest and pulled him into a fierce hug.

"Thanks, daddy." With that, she trotted off to her room, glad dinner was already over. As soon as the door was closed, she tossed the notebook aside carelessly, her nose wrinkled. "Stupid school," she muttered, dropping heavily onto the edge of her bed and picking at a band-aid on her elbow.

 _Tap tap tap._

Her head jerked up and she glanced around slowly, only stopping when her eyes landed on the window and the pair of spooky white eyes that floated in the dark corner. For a split-second, she nearly screamed. Then she remembered – she knew those eyes! Jumping up gleefully, April rushed to her bedroom window and climbed on the long upholstered seat that sat in front of it – one of her mother's more crafty projects.

Holding up a finger for him to wait, April wrestled with the window before finally pushing it open.

"Donatello!" she exclaimed, ducking shamefully when he immediately shh'ed her. Glancing over her window to make sure that her dad wasn't coming, April grinned brilliant. "Hang on," she jumped up and ran over to her door, locking it and then returning to her previous spot. Her shadow friend waited.

Just his two eyes, April thought. Everything else was too dark. It was hard to find a dark place in New York City, but it was late – almost bed time, even – and April's room faced away from the street.

"Hey," the voice whispered, giggling.

April sat on the window seat and beamed. "I'm so glad you're here!" she said quietly, fighting to contain her excitement. "Do you wanna come in?"

The eyes shook. "I can't, I'm sorry. But I can sit here."

Desperate for him to stay, April nodded. "Okay, that's fine." She shivered and fished around for a blanket, pulling it up around her lap. It was cold with the window open. "Are you cold? I can get you a blanket."

"I've got one," the shadow Donnie said, and April watched as he slid a small piece of an old-lady looking blanket into the dim lighting of her bedroom. She touched the corner of it, mostly because it was hard to believe he was really there.

"How did you get up here?" she asked, amazed. "We live on the eighth floor."

"Fire escape," his big shadow shifted, like maybe he was pointing. "It was so super cold. My fingers feel frozen. But it's okay, I have mittens."

"Oh good," April nodded. "I read somewhere that being cold can make your fingers fall off."

The shadow shuffled forward. "It's true. I read that, too." He paused. "How was school?"

Sighing, April let herself fall over the chair in a way she'd seen ladies do on television. "It was lame. There's this girl – her name is Kristin, I think – she is always trying to get me into trouble. Like, today. She said I took her pencil, but I didn't. She just lost it." April huffed. "And I told her, I said – You probably just can't see it because your head is so far up your butt."

Tapping her fingers on her chin, the redhead exhaled noisily. "I got in trouble for that."

She heard Donnie snickering, maybe behind his hand like he was trying to hide it. "That wasn't very nice," he told her. "Do you go to a public school?"

April shook her head. "No way, I wish. I go to a math and science school. It's like – I don't know, something for people to grow up to be scientists? It's where my daddy went, and he's a scientist now." In the darkness of the window, her shadow friend gasped.

"Really? I want to be a scientist! What kind of scientist is he?"

She thought about it. "Well, I don't really know, because he's not allowed to talk about it. And everything he carries says TOP SECRET on it, which means it's gotta be good, right? But when I tried looking through his stuff, he grounded me. And his briefcase is locked anyway. Not even a rock can open it."

The white eyes blinked at her. "That sounds important," he whispered, impressed. April nodded.

"Oh, it is." She wasn't really sure that was true, but she'd already decided long ago that it must be. So telling that to Donnie seemed like a good idea. "I think he might be making something in a lab. Like – a creepy _monster!_ " She bared her teeth and giggled. Donnie laughed, too. It made her feel so good when he laughed at her jokes. No one at school ever laughed.

Then her friend was quiet. "What.. What do you think a monster would look like?"

That was a weird question, April thought. But she liked it, because it made her think. Sitting back on her window seat, April bunched the blanket up around her chin. "I think monsters look different to different people," she said after a long moment. "Depends on what you're afraid of. Like – everyone has their own monster. Nothing is scary to _everyone_."

She wasn't sure what Donnie thought about this, because he didn't say anything. So she went on.

"Like, for me – I don't like spiders. So a crazy spider monster would make me pee myself. Ew, they are so gross," she shivered. "But I – I saw on tv, there's this guy. His name is Steve Irwin. And he likes spiders, like. He played with one. Like it was a _puppy dog._ "

Donnie laughed again. "That's pretty neat," his big shadow leaned on the window. April was glad, because he seemed more comfortable that way. She almost liked that she couldn't see his face. It meant she had to pay attention to other stuff about him. Like the way his eyes looked, or his voice sounded. She felt like a detective.

"Do you think... turtles are scary?" he asked.

April laughed outloud. "Turtles? No way. Turtles are so cute!"

To her surprise, Donnie let out a happy sound. "Really?"

Nodding vehemently, April pulled her blanket up over her head like a hood. "Oh, yeah. One time, when I was like – um, six. I found a turtle and I wanted to keep him. So I put him in a box," she swallowed a breath. "But he looked really sad, so I decided to let him go. I took him to a pond and let him swim away, and I think he's happy now, so I don't miss him too much."

"That was nice of you," Donnie said. "I'm glad you let him go. I don't think turtles like living in boxes."

"One time," April gestured. "I saw a turtle at the aquarium and it was huge. Like, as big as – as my dad." She grinned at Donnie's shocked gasp.

"Really? Did he talk?"

Blinking, April tilted her head. "Well, no." she paused. At the disappointed noise from her friend, she barreled on, "But I didn't try to talk to him. He was in a tank. I don't think turtles can talk." She tried to think about the books she'd read. "But you know, maybe we just can't understand them. I can't understand people who speak Spanish either, but it doesn't mean they can't talk."

When her friend giggled, she smiled once more. "Have you ever been to the aquarium?" she asked.

She saw the eyes shake side to side. "No," Donnie answered softly. He sounded sad. April scooted closer, but she still couldn't see anything.

"Are you homeless?" she asked, frowning. "Because if you are, it's okay. You can come live with me and my dad."

Her friend made a noise that sounded like a whimper, "I have a home. It's just... I'm not supposed ta' come out. But it's not bad. My home is good. My family is great. But we can't go out, like you can. We have to stay here."

"In the dark?" April asked, curious.

"In the dark," he repeated firmly. April was quiet for a little while, though she kept glancing up to make sure Donnie was still there. Suddenly, she got an idea and her face lit up.

"Ooh, Donnie. Wait here!" she jumped up, running around her room and trying to keep quiet. Fishing around in her box of DVD's, she found what she was looking for. Then she grabbed the rolling cart with her bedroom TV on it, reaching down and yanking out the cords so she could roll it across the room.

"What're you doing?" her friend asked, edging closer.

April grinned and pulled the tv to the window, kicking some stuff out of the way so she could plug it up. "I have this DVD I got from the last time we went to the aquarium," she said, displaying it proudly. She stooped down and popped it into the tv, then jumping up and shutting off her bedroom lamp so the room became dark. Only her tv gave them any light. It made her window look like a movie theater, she thought with delight.

"Watch," she said, clicking it on. She re-settled on the window seat and snuggled into her blanket. Behind her, she heard Donnie lean closer. "This tells you everything I saw at the aquarium," she told him in an excited whisper.

The video began with a tour of the aquarium, and then it showed the awesome dolphin show April had watched last time she'd visited. It told him all kinds of neat facts and showed videos of the animals. Some instructors on the screen talked about dolphin training.

"Neat, huh?" she said over her shoulder.

She thought Donnie might not be paying attention to the video – maybe he wasn't interested in it – but then when he talked, he sounded more amazed than April had ever heard in her life.

"It's the best thing I ever saw," he told her quietly.

April beamed. "Yeah," she agreed. "I think so, too."


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: Spent a whole weekend in the real world. Need escape.

With cuteness.

* * *

He tapped on the window.

It was always polite to knock, he thought. Maybe he'd grown up in a sewer, and okay, he wasn't supposed to be here again anyway, but he'd been raised to have manners, so if he was going to sneak out of the lair, shimmy up the fire escape and see his secret friend again, he was going to knock.

"Donnie!"

He darted back into the shadows and situated his blanket carefully. "Hi," he grinned, happy as a clam. He liked the way April's face looked in the bright little window, with her pink lamp just behind her and a pile of books always in the way of her boot-covered feet. She looked like a movie playing in her own little box. And she was always so happy to see him! If he got in trouble, he was 100% sure it would be worth it.

Well, okay. Maybe like, 84% sure. It was best to be accurate.

"Watcha' up to?" she asked happily, plopping her chin into her hands. Donnie shivered under his blanket and coat. It was really starting to get cold for the winter time.

"Nothinggggg," Donnie giggled. "'Cept I found something cool in the dumpster today. It's a radio, see?" He prodded the hand-held radio closer to her and April inspected it, freckles scrunched under her thoughtful stare.

"It's broken," she informed him.

"I know," Donnie took it back. "I'm going to fix it."

"Can you do that?" she asked, her eye wide. Donnie straightened, even though she couldn't see him, because she made him feel so big and grown-up and smart.

"Yeah, I can!" he said excitedly.

"Wow," she waved an arm. "You should show me when you're done. Then maybe I can learn how to do stuff like that, too." She paused. "If you think I can."

"You totally can," Donnie was sure of that. His friend was smart. He set his radio aside and leaned against the window. "Do you have any homework?"

"Duhh," April laughed. "I always have homework. Wanna help me again?"

"Sure!"

It was Donnie's favorite thing they did together. April jumped up and ran for her pile of books, throwing some of them aside until she found the right one and thrust it into the dark shadows he hid away in. Donnie accepted it and shifted the textbook pages so he had a little bit of light, while April settled on the bay window seat with a blanket around her shoulders and a composition book against her knees.

"Chapter Six, right?" asked Donnie gleefully. April matched his grin and nodded.

"Ahem," he said, giggling as he turned the page and assumed his best Teacher voice. "Chapter Six: Ecosystems and How They Work." And so they read, with Donnie talking outloud and showing April the pictures, and April occasionally stopping him to point out something cool or funny, or other times just to ask questions. Then she had to do the five chapter summary questions at the end and write her answers in her notebook. Donnie was always very impressed, because April did a great job.

"You're a good reader," she said when he complimented her, making Donnie's cheeks flush.

"Nah, you're smart. I'm just saying what the book says," he said. When April smiled, he smiled back, not that she could see it. He wished he could just drop into her room. It would sure be nice and warm in there. But he couldn't. He was already going to be in big big trouble if Master Splinter found out about all this.

Suddenly – _Bbggrrghh_. His stomach growled. April blinked. "What was that?" she exclaimed. Donnie touched his plastron under the blanket.

"Hungry," he said with a frown. He'd skipped dinner that night to come see April.

The little girl closed her notebook with a snap. "Ooh, I know! I can make you some food! Stay riiiiiiight here," she said, before she hurried out of the room. Donnie waited, and about five minutes later, April came scooting back through her door with a plate and some kind of aluminum can, as well as a plastic cup tucked under her arms. The smell coming from the plate was delicious!

April shut her door and shuffled over, careful not to spill the plate.

"What are these?" asked Donnie, peering at the unfamiliar food.

"Pizza rolls!" she told him, setting the plate on the window seat. "They're delicious. My mom used to not buy stuff like this, because she said they were junk. But since she died, my dad buys em all the time. I think it's cause I can cook 'em when he's not home." She popped one of the small bread thingys into her mouth. "Be careful," she said around a mouthful of food. "The insides are like volcano lava with hot sauce that came from the SUN." She laughed and extended the pate to him.

Donnie accepted one of the pieces cautiously, though he had trouble grabbing it with his mitten-covered hands. He finally managed it, though, and wow! She was right. It was delicious and scalding hot. _Hiss._ April opened the orange aluminum can she'd brought.

"What's that?" asked Donnie curiously.

April swallowed her food. "It's orange soda. It's super good," she said, jumping up and grabbing the glass. She poured some in the class and spilled more than a little on her carpet. "Oops," she said, shrugging and then carrying on. "I spilled some. It's okay."

She handed him the cup. Donnie took it and peered at it curiously. After a few moments, he sipped at the drink. "Whoa," he said. "That is the most amazing thing I ever tasted."

"I know!" April giggled. "Good, right?" She slurped from her can. "You can take some home with you. I can just say I drank all of it. My dad will buy me more."

Donnie felt like he was having the most wonderful day of his life, though he had that thought every time he hung out with April. Playing with his new friend, eating new food, drinking _soda._ Wait until he told his brothers about this!

Suddenly, Donnie frowned. His soda didn't taste as good and neither did the little pizza things.

"I feel bad," he confessed to April with a sniffle.

"Why?" she asked, her blue eyes wide. Donnie shrugged beneath his blanket. He couldn't tell her that his brothers had never seen this stuff. He was being so selfish! How could he? Overwhelmed with the urge to cry, Donnie put down his cup and sniffled.

April frowned. "Donnie, why are you sad?"

"Wish my .. brothers could see this stuff," he admitted. That wasn't too revealing, right? April scooted forward.

"Can you bring them here?" she asked. "They can all come and play."

"I can't tell them," he told her, deeply ashamed. "I'll get in trouble." As usual, his little friend didn't try to make him tell more. Instead, she held up a hand for him to wait – again – and this time when she returned to the room, she had a grungy paper sack and her entire bag of frozen pizza rolls.

"Here," she said, handing it to him. "Take this home. Tell them you found it, like – I don't know, someone dropped it in the parking lot at the grocery store." Donnie tilted his head, uncertainty making him hesitate. Then he reached out and took the bag.

"Well," he said slowly. "That sounds like something that could happen."

"Yeah!" April exclaimed. "People leave stuff around all the time! I even got you the unopened bag. All you gotta do is heat 'em up. And then your brothers can have delicious pizza food, too."

Tucking the bag into his arm, Donnie felt tears well up again. His friend was so nice. The nicest girl that ever lived, he was sure about that. "Are – Are you sure? I – I don't have anything to give you, April." Shoving some stuff off her seat, April came to sit next to him again and folded her arms around her knees. She was wearing her hair in braids again. He liked those funny things.

"You're my friend, Donnie," she told him with a serious nod. "Friends give each other pizza rolls. And homework help. And – and," she scrunched up her face in thought. "And friendship! See, that's lots of things. You give me and I give you."

Donnie's fingers tightened around the bag and it made a little crinkly noise.

"The nicest girl that ever lived," he said outloud, not minding if she heard.

* * *

"Look," April said, holding up the piece of construction paper. "You just trace your hand on it, like this." A marker appeared in her tiny fingers and she placed her other palm down on the multi-colored lap desk she had sitting on her knees. When she was done tracing her hand, she picked up some of the other markers and began to make each finger a different color. Then she took a black one and dotted a little mark on the place where her thumb had been.

"Then you cut it out and – wha-la! A Thanksgiving turkey!"

"Wow," Donatello was so impressed. Instant art. Kids were taught great things in school! April fished out some more supplies and pushed it through the window. "Now it's your turn!"

April shifted her drawing away from Donnie's sight so she could finish coloring her turkey – she wanted it to be a surprise – while he worked on his. A few minutes later, they both cut out their festive creations and held their gifts close to their chests in anticipation of the Big Reveal.

"Okay," said Donatello. "On three. One... two... three!"

They thrust their pictures at each other, and when April held up Donatello's paper turkey to the light, she made a yelp of surprise. Then she tilted her head – and the paper – very slowly. Donnie's paper turkey only had a head and two feathers!

His voice drifted from the darkness. "Is... that alright?"

April looked over to the shadow that was her friend and a happy laugh escaped her.

"It's the best turkey ever!" she told him, before she leaned on the window and made the paper fowl hop along its edge. "Gobble, gobble!"

Donnie's mitten-covered hand appeared and did the same with April's rainbow-colored art. "Gobble, gobble!" he imitated, before they both dissolved into giggles that echoed through the window and into the New York City night.

* * *

"April?"

"Yeah?"

"What's Christmas?"

The tiny redhead gasped. "You don't know what Christmas is?" she asked, and she knew he must be asking because of all the decorations and stuff. It was hard to miss, even though Thanksgiving was JUST over, for pete's sake! "It's one of the best holidays ever. After Halloween, I mean."

She took in a deep breath, because she wanted to make sure she sounded good and smart while she explained it. She didn't always get a chance to explain stuff to her friend. He already knew a lot.

"Christmas is a holiday that's about like, giving and stuff. There's always singing and gifts and lots of stuff in red and green. I'm not really sure why those colors, maybe they were Jesus' favorite colors or something," she told him with a nod. "It's about church too, I think? But we don't go to church, so it's really just about presents for us."

Her face lit up. "Oh, and cooking! Like, the most amazing food ever. Lots of ham and turkey and mashed potatoes and mmm," she hugged herself tight. "So many delicious things! And then there's sweet desserts, too! Like, every year, my mom and me make cookies and - "

She stopped, blue eyes blinking a few times before her excited smile fell away.

"What is it?" inquired Donnie.

April's face crumbled. "My... my mom," she whispered, crestfallen. "She won't be here this year." Tears formed in the corner of her eyes. "Donnie," she choked out, her hands coming up to fist at her eyes. "She won't be there! My mom, she won't be at Christmas this year!"

She began to cry.

"April," Donnie whimpered, fear seizing his young heart at the sight of his friend so miserable. "Aw, please... Please don't be sad. Your mom … Your mom loved you a lot. She wouldn't want you to think of her and be sad."

"But," April sobbed. "I can't help it!"

She fell over against the window, tears pouring freely down her freckled cheeks as she cried and cried, harder than Donnie had ever seen her, even that day on the rooftop when they'd first met. He had to do something. He had to make her feel better.

And so, tentatively, he did something he'd never done before.

He reached out with a mitten-covered hand, far out of the shadows and slipped his hand over April's. They'd never made contact before. He wished he didn't have to wear his mitten, but he did. Still, this wasn't about what he wanted. It was about making April feel better.

He curled his fingers over hers and squeezed.

April's crying grew quieter and she lifted her head, face ruddy and eyes blood-shot. She looked down at their joined hands, and after staring for a few seconds, she tightened her hand in his. Donnie's chest felt like it was about to explode, but it was okay. She still couldn't see him, just the sleeve of his wind-breaker and his hidden hand.

Still, it must have been the right thing to do, because she shifted closer with a loud sniffle and pulled both of her arms around his outstretched hand. Then she laid her cheek on his mitten, like it was a pillow. She was still crying, but it was softer now.

"C – Close your eyes," Donnie murmured, and April did.

Knowing he could trust her not to open them, Donnie scooted forward, closer into the warmth of the living room, just enough to take his other hand and place it gently on top of her red hair. She responded by curling around his hand tighter, a high-pitched whimper escaping her. Her tears made freezing cold puddles on his mittens, but that was okay.

The light from April's room illuminated the dim outline of her mysterious friend, and what it showed was a bewildering sight indeed. A small anthropomorphic turtle in mismatched clothing, shrouded by a dirty blanket and wearing a beanie that sat just over the top of golden eyes. And in his arms, curled up in an open window lined with snow, was a distraught little girl.

She couldn't see him, but he was there.

"I'm sorry," Donnie told her sincerely, and he wasn't sure he'd ever meant anything more in his entire life. "Please don't cry."

April whispered, "I'm trying."

"You're my best friend," said Donnie.

Her grip on him tightened. "You're my best friend too," she replied softly.


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: Heyyyyyyy, just in time for Christmas! Ha! I love you guys.

Enjoy some cuteness.

* * *

"Merry Christmas!"

Donnie giggled wildly at April's shout from his shadowy perch, and he was delighted to see her smiling, freckled face. He was so afraid she would be sad today, but there she was, with an armful of – well, uh, stuff. He wasn't really sure what it was.

April set down the many things in her arms and jumped onto her windowseat. She loved seeing her friend, and to know he was here on Christmas was extra special. Her dad had been so sad all this morning, and even being with their other family members hadn't cheered him up. Honestly, it had made her feel bad, and she hadn't really enjoyed opening her presents. But knowing that she'd planned to meet Donnie that night made it a lot better. This was his first Christmas ever. She couldn't be sad. His first Christmas shouldn't be sad.

"Merry Christmas," said her favorite pair of spooky white eyes. He giggled again and this time, he snorted. April's grin grew.

"Okay, so I got some special stuff for you." She reached down and fished around in one of her bags. "This is Christmas cookies," she handed a plate to his mitten-covered hands. Donnie's eyes grew wide from his hiding place. Cookies shaped like trees! What on earth?

"And this is a big ole plate of Christmas food. It's got, um, like turkey and gravy and it used to have mashed potatoes, but I got hungry and ate those. I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Donnie told her with great certainty. "I've never had mashed potatoes, so I probably wouldn't like them." He ate a cookie and made a very loud mmmm noise, just for her, so she'd know he liked them. They really were delicious. And so sweet his mouth hurt.

April pulled out some more food stuff, and Donnie happily ate it from his spot while April told him all about her Christmas morning.

"My daddy was sad," She admitted, putting her chin in her hand. "I tried to make him feel better by singing, but he cried. So I stopped."

"That's too bad," said Donnie around a mouthful of cookie. "I bet it wasn't your singing that made him sad."

"I dunno," said April seriously. "I'm a pretty bad singer."

"Eat a cookie," Donnie offered, hand out of the shadow. April took one and ate it, spilling crumbs on her special red Christmas dress. They ate in silence for a few minutes, except for when April was humming. Then she finished her cookie by cramming it in her mouth and jumped up, pulling up a bag. Once she'd swallowed her cookie, she pressed it at Donnie's big shadow.

"I got you a present," she smiled, so proud.

"Ooh!" Donnie let out an excited squeal and set aside his (now empty) plate. "I – " He paused, and he was glad she couldn't see his face in the dark. "I got you something, too…" He paused. "Well, I made it. I hope that's okay."

"That's totally okay!" April exclaimed, making Donnie shh her again, because geez, he didn't need her daddy coming in. That would be super bad.

"He's asleep," she said, making a face. "Sometimes, he sleeps a lot, and it's really hard to wake him up, even when I want to. It's a sad sleep, I think."

"Oh," Donnie said, before reaching out and patting her hand with his mitten. "Here, here's your gift." Pulling away, he shyly reached behind him and found the little box, wrapped in newspaper. He'd colored it red and gold with marker, because those were the Christmas colors, and it made it look more festive. He was deeply afraid it looked very silly, but April seemed to love it.

"Oh, Donnie, open your gift first! Then I'll do mine!"

"Welllllll, okay," Donnie grinned behind his scarf, unable to believe he was actually opening a Christmas present! Wow. And from his favorite human friend. Well, his only human friend. But she would definitely still be his favorite.

He ripped off the paper, and after shifting it into the light, he let out a real, loud gasp.

"It's… a chemistry set," he said in awe. April wiggled in her spot.

"Yep!" she pointed. "And looks, it says for 12 and up, and I know you're not 12, but you're so super smart like a twelve year old. So I know you can do cool stuff with it."

Donnie touched the box, so overcome with emotion that he thought he might really cry. Oh, he'd better not do that. He better not cry. He couldn't do that in front of April. What if he made her cry, too?

"How did you get this? It looks like – so much money. Like what grown-ups buy." It had real ingredients in it and everything. April shrugged her thin shoulders.

"I used the Christmas money my aunt gave me."

Donnie hugged the box to his chest, even as he protested. "Oh, April! That was your money! You shouldn't have spent it on me."

"You said you wanted to be a scientist," April poked his mitten. "Well, that's what I wanted for Christmas! For you to be a scientist, duh. And you need – stuff like that. Like, bottles and stuff. It says so on the box. Look, you need a white coat, too. It doesn't come with one of those. If I find one, though, I'll get you one. That way you're official."

She knew a lot about being official. Her dad was an official scientist. Plus, she'd watched a lot of t.v.

Donnie looked at the box again. "This is the best, April… Thank you," he said, wishing he could make himself give it back. But – Oh, the things he could do with this! It made him want to wiggle and squirm and jump up and down.

"Okay," said April. "I'm gonna open mine up now."

Suddenly feeling like his gift was terrible, Donnie almost took it back, but April had already ripped off the Christmas/newspaper wrapping and pulled out the little tin box.

"What is it?" April asked, turning it in her hand. "Is it for jewelry? Cause I always lose that stuff. One time, I swallowed an earring."

"It's… not meant to hold anything," Donnie said shyly, before edging forward. "Here, I'll show you. Turn off your light." April eyed his lumpy shadow before jumping up and doing as she was told. One her light was off, she stumbled and bumbled back to the window, still holding the box. Donnie took it from her and with a flick of a switch on the side, a light lit up from within and suddenly a circle of multi-colored shapes jumped onto the walls.

An elephant. A kitty cat. A dolphin. A turtle. Each its own color, circling slowly and lazily on the walls and ceiling.

"Wow," April breathed, reaching up and running her fingers through the pink elephant shadow. "You … made this, Donnie?"

He squirmed a bit, a small, nervous giggle escaping him. "Yeah. I thought – maybe, since you say sometimes you're sad at night, when I'm not here, you could turn this on and look at the pretty shapes. And maybe it would make you feel better. The animals can be like your friends, to keep you company."

April was quiet for a minute, and Donnie couldn't see her, so he wasn't sure what she was doing. Suddenly, though, she was right in front of him and she hugged him all the way around, her cheek against his front. The room was still dark, and she couldn't see him, but she was still willing to lean out of the window to hold tightly to him.

"Thank you, Donnie," she said, with a little sniffle. "Shadow friends are the best."

After a few seconds, Donnie hugged her back, and they watched the shapes dance around the dark room for a few minutes more before April pulled away. "Here, lemme turn on the – ow, my knee – the lights." Donnie hurried back into the shadows before she switched on the lights and turned to him, still rubbing her bruised knee.

"Okay, Donnie, we got one more Christmas thing to do, okay? But I know you're not gonna do it if I can see you, sooooooooooo," she reached over one of the bags and pulled out something pink and purple. It was a sleep mask, Donnie realized.

"This was in some dumb beauty kit my cousin got me, it had a bunch of gross sticky lip gloss in it. This says Princess on it, isn't that dumb? Why would a princess need this to sleep?" She moved the sleep mask around her head and let it fall back onto her face with a pop!

"Ow!" she shouted, before laughing hysterically, now blind to all around her. "Maybe princesses don't have eyelids," she said with a nod, before she began bumbling around her room again. "Hurry, get in here, Donnie. I can't see a thing!"

Donnie rushed into the room. The carpet felt strange and squishy beneath his feet. Oh, boy, he was super nervous, but April really couldn't see him, and she was about to fall out of the window trying to get to something, so he grabbed her arm and held her up straight. She laughed hysterically before pointing in the wrong direction.

"I need to get to my music player!"

Unable to resist giggling at her, Donnie guided her to the music player, and after a few bad hits, she managed to hit Play.

Da doo doo doo.

 _Rockin' around_

 _The Christmas tree_

 _At the Christmas party hop_

"Dance with me, Donnie!" April exclaimed, holding out her hands, and Donnie grinned to himself before he took them with his own mittens. "Don't let me fall! I'm as blind as a dingbat!"

"You're crazy!" Donnie declared, laughing when she stumbled into him, and together they danced and hopped all around the room.

 _You will get a sentimental feeling_

 _When you hear_

 _Voices singing Let's Be Holly_

 _Deck the halls with boughs of holly_

Snow fell outside, but for once, Donnie didn't have to be outside in it. Despite the racket, April's dad didn't come in, and they danced through the whole song for what felt like the longest – and best – night of Donnie's whole seven year old life.

 _Everyone's dancing merrily_

 _In a new old fashioned way._


End file.
